watson



(No Model.)

. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. O. WATSON.

OAR COUPLING.

No. 397,673. Patented Feb. 12, 1889.

N. PETER o-Lflhogmphcr, Washingiurl. D. C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. G. WATSON.

OAR COUPLING.

No. 397.673. Patented Feb. 12. 1889.

Wtmesse. I fizz/6w)",

N. PETERS. PhclO-Lflhugmpllur, wnrm mn. D. c.

llnTTnn @TATES PATENT Orrrcno VILLIAM C. "WATSON, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF TO THEODORE Y. KINNE, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-CO SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 397,673, dated February 12, 1889.

Serial No. 270,202. (No niodchl To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, lVILLIAM- C. "ATSON, of Paterson, in the county of Passaic and State of New Jersey, have in vented a new and useful Improvement in Car- Couplings, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of couplings the principal members of which are hooks pivoted and having lateral movements within the draw-head, the coupling action being effected by the engagement of two such hooks, one on each of two cars to be coupled.

The invention consists in the construction hereinafter described and particularly I5 claimed.

I11 the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front view of a draw-head and coupling and their apmntenances embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represer. s a horizontal section of'the same in thelinca .r,Fig.1. Fig. 3 represents a central vertical section of the same. h 1 4 represents a horizontal section of portions of two coupling-hooks, showing their engagement. Fi and It are plan views rep 2 5 resenting the ends of two car-platforms and portions of tho draw-heads and couplinghooks of two cars.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

In Fig 1, E2, and 3, A designates the draw head. B is the coupling-hook,havingits rear part pivoted at a a into the top and bottom of the rear part of the draw-head. The said hook is constructed with an eye, 1), in rear of its nose c, the front end of said eye forming a continuation of the back of the nose 0, as

shown at c in Figs. and t. 3y this construction of the hook. with an eye whereby, when two eoupl in g-hooks are brought together in position for coupling, as shown in Fig. 4-, the end of each hook. is permitted to pass into and through the eye of the other hook, so that a long surface of engagement provided between the two hooks without giving 4 5 the nose at very lon projection, and the shanks (Z of the hooks are enabled to come more nearly into line, whereby a more direct traction is obtained.

The pivoting of the coupling-hook into the o draw-head is effected by constructing the hook with integral pivots a a, the upper one of which is fitted to a bearing, 6, provided for it in the top of the task part of the drawhead. The corresponding lower pivot is fit ted to a bearing in the removable plate f, which is placed across and partly covers an opening, 9, in the bottom of the draw-head, and which is secured by bolts 0r screws 7t h to the draw-head. By this method of pivoting the coupling-hook into the draw-head fa- 6o eility is afforded for the removal of the hook for renewal or repair. To effect such removal, the screws 7L and the plate f may be taken off by a man going a little way under the platform of the car, after which the hook will drop away from its pivot-bearing c, and can be easily withdrawn. through the open front of the draw-head.

O O designate the spring for producing the engagement of the coupling-hook. sented as composed of two leaves united by an eye, a, and held in place by a pin, j, passing through said eye,- and through the pivots a a of the coupling-hook.) One of the said leaves,

O, bears against one side of the draw-head and 7 5 the other, U, against pins 7t 7c in the couplinghook. The pin j is supported and held in place by the removable bottom pivot-plate, f,

of the draw-head, and when the coupling-hook is taken out of the draw-head said pin is free to be removed to liberate the spring.

D designates the upright shaft or spindle by which the disengagement of the coupling hook is effected. This shaft is intended to be supported in bearings in the usual way on the front platform of a passenger-car or on the front of a freight-car. It is represented as constructed with a crank, D, at or near its lower end, which is connected with the coupling hook by a slotted link, E, which is atca tached to said hook by a pin, Z. Said shaft is furnished at the upper end with the usual hand-wheel, F, and below this hand-wheel there is secured to the car a fixed segmentplate, G, in or on which are two notches or 9 shoulders, at n, to engage a stop-piece, 0, provided on the shaft D or hand-wheel. By turning the hand-wheel to bring the stop-piece 0 into engagement with the notch or the coup ling-hook is thrown back to the uppermost of the three positions shown in Fig. 2, and so locked positivelyin a position in which it can (Repre- 7o engage with the coupling of another car. 3y

turning the said wheel to bring the stop into engagement with the notch m the link is brought to the nearly central position shown in Fig. 2 and in Fig. 5, in the latter of which figures the coupling-links of the two cars are shown in that position ready to couple on their coming together.

As the cars approach each other beyond the position shown in Fig. 5, the link E permits them to move ba'cklaterall y sufficiently for them to pass by each other until their noses o 0 pass each other, when they will be brought into engagement, as shown in Fig. 4:, by the action of the spring. The shaft D and the hand-wheel F are permitted a suiiicient vertical movement to engage the stop-piece with and disengage it from the projections or notches m a. \Vhen the said shaft and wheel are raised to liberate the stop-piece 0, and the said piece is left free to ride on the portion p of the segment-plate G behind the notch 11, the coupling-hook is left u nder the unrestricted control of the spring C C, and is thrown over laterally to the lowest of the three positions shown in Fig. 2, which corresponds with the position of the right-hand hook in Fig. 6. Either of the hooks being allowed to assume this position will pass freely behind the head of the coupling-hook of another car, whichmay have been left in a central position ready for coupling. This may be understood by reference to Fig. (3, where the hook of the left-hand car is in the position for coupling. By permitting the hooks to be so thrown over by the springs beyond the coupling position when left free all danger of injury to the couplings by the ends of the hooks abutting against each other when two cars come together is obviated, for if both hooks are locked by the notch 01. they are out of each others reach, and if both are locked by the notch on they will couple on coming together, and ifeither of the two be left free from the locking-plate it will be thrown beyond the other whatever may be the position of the latter.

This coupling is simple, strong, and direct in its action and affords all the flexibility in a lateral direction that can be desired.

\Vhatl claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the draw-head, the coupling hook provided thereon and the spring provided between them, substantially as herein described, a slotted link connected with the coupling-hook, an operating-shaft provided with a crank engaging the slotted link, and means, substantially as described, for lockingthe shaft in different positions, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the draw-head, the coupling hook provided thereon and the spring provided between them, substantially as herein described, whereby when the coupling-hook is unlocked and left free it is thrown over by the spring with its back beyond the central position, substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

3. The combination of a coupling-hook provided with upper and lower integral pivots, adraw-head having formed in it a bearing for the upper pivot, a removable plate fitted to and secured in the opening in the lower part of the draw-head and containing a bearing :for the other pivot, a spring applied within the draw-head between it and the coupling-hook, and the removable pin for holding said spring inserted in the coupling-hook and secured therein by said removable plate, all substantially as herein set forth.

WILLIAM C. WATSON.

Witnesses: v FREDK. HAYNES, J os. W. Ron. 

